Monday, Dec. 01, 2003

Seaside Treasures

By Eric Degerman

The chefs of two Northwest hotels by the sea pair their dishes with a Syrah from Betz Family Winery

Betz Family Winery 2001 La Serenne Syrah

In each issue, Wine Press Northwest sends a bottle of Northwest wine to two chefs and asks them to match a recipe to it. In this issue, we called upon Bob Betz for his 2001 La Serenne Syrah.

The Master of Wine and retired Chateau Ste. Michelle executive contracts exclusively with respected grower Dick Boushey for this bottling, and the grapes come from three small Syrah sites just north of Grandview in the Yakima Valley. These vineyards are cooler than most in the Columbia Valley, providing later harvest dates and producing the "wildness, spice and juicy fruit" that Betz seeks. It received 100 percent French oak barrel treatment for 13 months, giving the wine a vanilla background. This deeply pigmented wine sings with blackberries, cherries, smoke, cinnamon and a gamey quality the winemaker and both of our chefs spoke of. Betz said he's looking forward to sampling again in 1-2 years, but we couldn't wait to share this highly allocated wine.

Friday Harbor House Friday Harbor, Wash.

The Friday Harbor House offers far more than just the entrée for a romantic Saturday evening among Washington's San Juan Islands.

Picture a hip little downtown Seattle studio apartment — complete with fireplace and Jacuzzi — on the bluff that overlooks Friday Harbor. Come nighttime, the culinary creations of Kate Hegman make it difficult to go anywhere else for dinner. Afterward, you can merely stroll to the inn's private garden to watch the harbor lights.

"We have a 99.9 percent compliment rate from our guests," said innkeeper Linda Hersey.

Hegman, 34, set foot on the island three years ago as the Friday Harbor House sous chef. Now, she's in her second year as the executive chef, and it doesn't sound as if she has plans to leave anytime soon.

"I was living and working in San Francisco, which I loved, but it's big and expensive, and I was just ready to go to a smaller community where I could afford my own little cabin in the woods," Hegman said.

She grew up near Dayton, Ohio, graduated from Philadelphia's Drexel University in international studies and worked for a while in Washington, D.C. "I didn't like the office work and the politics and getting paid minimum wage because you didn't have a doctorate," she said with a chuckle. "I like keeping up on politics. I have a lot of friends working in it, so I live vicariously through them."

Before long, she entered the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vt., then launched her career on the West Coast.

"It's a little more laid-back and more women-friendly, if you will," she said. "But I don't really think of myself as being a woman chef."

Ironically, the Friday Harbor House kitchen is nearly 100 percent female.

"It's funny because people ask me about that, and say, 'Wow, you have all these women working in the kitchen,' but those are the ones who are applying for the jobs. I don't care what gender they are," Hegman said.

Her intimate dining room offers the same harbor view that many of the guests in the 20-room inn enjoy from their bedrooms. It's just a couple of blocks from the ferry dock, and taking into account the availability of small outfits renting out bicycles and scooters, guests could leave their car at the Anacortes ferry terminal and walk aboard for the 90-minute ride.

"There's so much to do out here," Hegman said. "There's hiking and mushroom hunting this time of year. I hang out with my friends. I cook, oddly enough, on my days off. I love cooking Asian food, but I don't do that much of it at the restaurant."

There's romance and adventure to visiting an island. Yet, day-to-day life for residents means working together with neighbors and sometimes doing without or improvising.

"Most of the produce right now is from a couple of local farmers, which is great," Hegman said. "It can be a little political at times, but I try to get a little of something from everyone. The most difficult time that I had was last year around Christmas and New Year's. Everyone decided to go on vacation at the same time."

During the summer, more than two-thirds of Hegman's diners are tourists, but that ratio inverts during the winter. Visitors clamor for the catch of the sea, but the San Juan Islands offer much more.

"All of my shellfish comes from Westcott Bay, and that's great, and I love that we have lamb out here now and pork," she said. "They have this local slaughtering unit, which sounds weird, but it helps the farmers make meats a lot more affordable. And the guys who are doing beef out here are just starting to market themselves."

Hersey said the infusion of indigenous ingredients lends itself to Hegman's style.

"When we promoted Kate, what we noticed was that her cooking is very clean with a lot of fresh herbs," Hersey said. "For instance, with her sturgeon dishes, you really get the flavors of the fish that are only enhanced by herbs, and they are accompanied by greens, which are generally local. I pay all the invoices, so I see where it all comes from."

Desserts at the Friday Harbor House are nearly impossible to turn down and are the specialty of sous chef Melissa Baker.

At each table, you'll find Riedel stemware, accompanied by a wine list that's quite representative of its corner of the Northwest.

"Kate has just recently taken over the wine buying, which only makes sense since she is working with wine and food," Hersey said. "We have done some wine dinners, and we're looking to do one every other month or so."

For her Match Maker, Hegman produced a delectable pairing with Betz Family Winery's 2001 Syrah La Serenne by staying on the island for the entrée: Roasted Rack of Lamb with Farro Risotto, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Seared Greens and a Huckleberry/Syrah Reduction.

The lamb came from God's Pocket Farm on San Juan Island, and it proved to be a marvelous cut — as tender as prime rib and without the gamey quality of domestic lambs. And for the reduction sauce, which leans heavily on the Betz La Serenne, Hegman deftly opted for huckleberry. The opulent and rich wine prominently showcases blackberry and boysenberries, along with coffee notes and heavy toast, so Hegman went with a slightly tart berry that would not get lost amid the sweet tannins Bob Betz elicited.

"I thought a rich meat would stand up well to the wine and that the huckleberries would fit in alongside all the fruit that's featured the wine," Hegman said.

Friday Harbor House, 130 West Street, Friday Harbor, WA, 98250, 866-722-7356, www.fridayharborhouse.com

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Farro Risotto, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Seared Greens and a Huckleberry-Syrah Reduction Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 racks of lamb, each cut in half Salt and pepper to taste 2 teaspoons olive oil 4 sprigs of chopped rosemary Directions:

- Season each half rack with salt, pepper, olive oil and chopped rosemary.

- Heat oven to 450°F (400°F for convection ovens) and roast racks on sheet pan to medium rare/medium. Farro Risotto

Farro is an ancient form of wheat, similar to spelt. Here it is cooked risotto style.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon chopped garlic 1⁄4 cup small onion, diced 1⁄4 cup carrot, diced 1⁄4 cup celery, diced 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil 1 cup whole grain farro Dash of white wine 4 cups chicken, vegetable or mushroom stock 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary (optional) Directions:

- Sauté diced vegetables in butter or olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

- Add uncooked faro, then deglaze with wine.

- Slowly add stock, continuously stirring to incorporate, adding more stock as it is absorbed. Continue stirring and adding stock until faro is fully cooked. (Kernels should be plump and soft but still chewy.)

- Adjust season as you go. Finish with butter and a pinch of chopped rosemary.

Chanterelle mushrooms

Ingredients: 1 pound chanterelle mushrooms 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 1 tablespoon butter dash of wine

Directions:

- Sauté mushrooms in butter and garlic.

- After mushrooms have released their juices, deglaze the pan with wine and cook until done.

Seared greens

Ingredients: 1 bunch of rainbow chard, Russian and Tuscan kale 1⁄2 teaspoon chopped garlic 1⁄2 teaspoon olive oil or butter Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

- De-rib and loosely chop the greens.

- Sauté garlic in olive oil or butter.

- Add greens.

Huckleberry-Syrah Reduction sauce

Ingredients: 1⁄2 bottle Betz Family Winery Syrah 2 shallots, peeled and sliced 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh huckleberries 1 cup chicken or lamb stock Salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon dried porcinis dash balsamic or fig vinegar (optional)

Directions:

- Reduce Syrah with shallots and one cup of huckleberries until reduced by half.

- Add stock and reduce again.

- Season with salt and pepper

- Blend reduction in a blender and then pass through a chinois.

- Return to head, add remaining huckleberries and adjust seasoning with a dash of vinegar, salt and pepper.

The Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach, Ore.

Life is, has been, and mostly likely always will be, a beach for John Newman.

So that is why the California-born surfer seems to be living life on his terms as executive chef of world-renowned The Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach, Ore.

"On March 2, I will have been here six years," Newman said. "That's a long time for a chef, but this is hard to beat. I've got the Oregon Coast. A dining room that seats up to 50 people and is mostly in-house. A four-course prix fixe menu, rather than a crazy ala carte menu.

"And in my first year here, I got to go to France in a chef exchange. I can't leave after going to France," Newman added with a chuckle. "We've had a nice run of success, and I've got a great crew. My wife works for same company, too. All those things help to maintain tenure."

And his focus is dinner. The Stephanie Inn offers its guests breakfast, which Newman rarely deals with, and no lunch is served.

The success each night in the dining room keeps Newman in fine standing with his bosses and the guests. What's more remarkable is the marvelous value Newman offers.

While a night's stay at the Stephanie Inn easily commands more than $300, his four-course dinner is $40 per person. The meal starts with Newman delivering a speech to the dining room, providing descriptions of each choice in detail. The 2 1/2-hour seating ends with a wonderful homemade dessert.

"Fine dining is my business, and I promote that and initiate that and provide an opportunity to experience that," Newman said. "But I take into account the economy and the recent world events."

However, you don't need to spend the night at The Stephanie Inn to marvel at the work of Newman and his attentive staff. Both dinner seatings are open to the public, which gives visitors the chance to walk about The Stephanie Inn while staying, for example, next door at The Ocean Lodge, a woodsy and inviting resort that also features beach bungalows. Regardless of where you go in town, innkeepers and chefs seem to greet Newman as a friend and ambassador for all of Cannon Beach.

"I moved here in 1995, and when I look at wine and food trends — despite the economy — I see excitement in people's eyes when I go to events," Newman said. "It's neat to be a part of that. We're right in the middle of something great that's happening. I've been back to New York as recently as January, and when I visit the restaurants and go back in the kitchens, they are really envious of what we have out here — things like seafood, excellent lamb, produce that's unbelievable, air that is clean. And the kind of clientele that we get at The Stephanie Inn enjoys that."

Newman's palate has become more sophisticated since arriving. "I was interested in heavier reds as a younger chef. As I've been able to have the dining room here and the Northwest cuisine, I've found that the style of the wine is relevant to the evening. It depends upon what you've done that day and want to experience that evening, so I'm thankful for the availability of the different wines we have here in the Northwest."

His wine list will please those fans of the Northwest's premier vintners. And this year, re-emerging Chateau Benoit began crafting the house wines for The Stephanie Inn.

"These are very promising times," Newman said. "Oregon has been fortunate in having success with Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, and my impression of Washington is that it is just beginning to be recognized nationally. It was just a matter of time."

The well-traveled Newman, 39, grew up surfing on the California coast and began cooking professionally in high school. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and his résumé includes stops in Switzerland, the Turtle Bay Hilton in Hawaii and Silks at San Francisco's Mandarin Hotel.

In 1999, soon after taking over at The Stephanie Inn, there was the French Chef Exchange as a four-week stint as guest chef at the Hotel de L'Aigle Noir in Fontainebleau. Later, he cooked at the famed James Beard House in New York.

Not long after joining the Stephanie Inn, Newman began to volunteer at the International Pinot Noir Celebration. He received the honor of guest chef the past two years at the McMinnville event, first with Adelsheim then Archery Summit.

"It's like going to chef camp, the camaraderie that gets built up within people in the industry," Newman said. "It's a spectacular event, but you've got to pay your dues. I had to show them who I was and follow through with commitments. The reputation of The Stephanie Inn helped, but you still have to be able to execute."

Last winter, he joined three other Oregon chefs to become part of the festivities in Washington D.C., surrounding the state's first Christmas tree at the Capitol Building.

All along, he's been active in Taste of the Nation/Chef's Night Out to benefit hunger relief, other charitable groups such as the Cystic Fibrosis Benefit and Make-A-Wish Foundation, and winemaker dinners.

For this Match Maker, Newman first offered up a lamb recipe then graciously provided his Roasted Organic Garlic-Rubbed Beef Tenderloin with Fingerling Potatoes, Carrots, Spinach and Shallots-Prune-Syrah reduction sauce.

Betz Family Winery's deep, brooding Syrah calls for a heavy meat, and none of the ingredients gets lost, although Newman warns against using powerful garlic. Newman enjoys working with prunes, and adding the dried prunes late to the sauce preparation steeps the fruit nicely. Again, the fruit in the reduction sauce coalesces with the wine's sweet tannins.

"It has an intriguingly deep color with pleasant aromas, nice and soft tannins, yummy ripe, dark sweet fruit characteristics and an agreeable mouthfeel and well balanced," Newman said. "These are all things that I enjoy in wine. I also got the impression that it would only get better with some age."

The Stephanie Inn, 2740 S. Pacific, Cannon Beach, OR, 97110, 800-633-3466. www.stephanie-inn.com.

Roasted Organic Garlic Rubbed Beef Tenderloin with Fingerling Potatoes, Carrots, Spinach and Shallot-Prune-Syrah Reduction Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients:

6 ounces fingerling potatoes Olive oil Salt & pepper 2 bulbs organic garlic (non-organic OK) 2 6-ounce portions trimmed beef tenderloin 6 baby carrots (approximately 4 ounces, non-baby is OK) 6 ounces of carrot juice (optional) 6 shallots 2 ounces Syrah 6 ounces beef stock, homemade or store bought 6 dried prunes 1 stick butter 4 ounces fresh spinach

Directions:

For the potatoes:

Coat potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in oven until soft. Reserve.

For the garlic:

1. Mince and reserve two cloves, 1 teaspoon, of garlic for the sauce.

2. With the remaining garlic, cut the tops off the garlic bulbs, coat with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast covered in oven until soft.

3. When soft and cooled a bit, squeeze the cloves of garlic out of the bulbs. Reserve 4 cloves of roasted garlic for a garnish when plating the dish. Macerate the remaining cloves with a knife. Transfer to a bowl and mix in 1 ounce of olive oil. Reserve.

For the beef tenderloin:

1. Trim the beef tenderloin to remove excess fat and sinew. Reserve trimmings.

2. Season the beef tenderloin with salt and pepper on all sides.

3. Sear golden brown on all sides in hot sauté pan and transfer to roasting pan. Reserve the pan used for searing the beef for making the sauce later.

4. Rub the seared beef tenderloin with the roasted garlic mixture and cook to desired doneness. Be sure to time the cooking of the beef to be ready with the other ingredients in the recipe.

For the carrots:

1. Reserve 1 teaspoon of minced carrots for the sauce.

2. Coat remaining carrots with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and roast in oven until soft. Set aside.

For carrot juice drizzle (optional):

1. Reduce the carrot juice in a sauté pan over medium heat until syrupy and whisk in 1 tablespoon whole butter. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

For the shallot-prune-syrah reduction sauce:

1. Reserve one teaspoon of shallots for reduction part of the sauce.

2. Lightly coat remaining shallots in olive oil and roast in roasting pan in 350°F oven until soft. Reserve

3. Sauté the reserved beef trimmings and cook until browned.

4. Add the reserved 1 teaspoon each of minced shallots, carrots & garlic to the pan, cook until you can smell the garlic.

5. Add the Syrah to the pan and reduce by two thirds.

6. Add the beef stock and reduce by two thirds.

7. Strain the sauce and add the dried prunes & roasted shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

8. Just before serving the sauce, bring it to a boil and whisk in 1 teaspoon butter.

For the spinach:

Remove stems from cleaned spinach, add to sauté pan with a teaspoon of butter or water, salt and pepper, and sauté until just wilted. Reserve.

Final step:

1. Assemble the dish by placing the spinach down on the plate, followed by the potatoes.

2. Lay the carrots around the potatoes, stack the beef on top of the potatoes and top with the sauces and garlic cloves. Garnish with the carrot juice drizzle.

3. Serve and enjoy.

• Comments
• Add Comment
• Disclaimer